- Position Title
- Health Technician (Ophthalmology)
- Agency
- Veterans Health Administration
- Announcement Number
- CBSV-12733953-25-SE Opens in new window
- Open Period
- Monday, May 12, 2025 to Monday, June 2, 2025
For preview purposes only. To apply, please return to the USAJOBS announcement and click the Apply button.
Eligibilities
1.
Are you currently employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs?
This includes: Career/Career Conditional or Excepted Service (i.e. Canteen, Hybrid, Title 38, etc. and meets interchange agreement requirements). This does not include temporary, term or temporary intermittent.
To verify your eligibility, you must submit a copy of your most recent Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50). Your SF-50 must include enough information to be able to determine that time-in-grade requirements have been met (if applicable) and include your position title, pay plan/series/grade, tenure and the type of appointment (i.e. Competitive or Excepted). Please be aware that award SF-50's do not always include this pertinent information.
This includes: Career/Career Conditional or Excepted Service (i.e. Canteen, Hybrid, Title 38, etc. and meets interchange agreement requirements). This does not include temporary, term or temporary intermittent.
To verify your eligibility, you must submit a copy of your most recent Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50). Your SF-50 must include enough information to be able to determine that time-in-grade requirements have been met (if applicable) and include your position title, pay plan/series/grade, tenure and the type of appointment (i.e. Competitive or Excepted). Please be aware that award SF-50's do not always include this pertinent information.
2.
Are you an employee of the facility indicated for this position?
This includes: Career/Career Conditional or Excepted Service (i.e. Canteen, Hybrid, Title 38, etc. and meets interchange agreement requirements). This does not include temporary, term or temporary intermittent.
To verify your eligibility, you must submit a copy of your most recent Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50). Your SF-50 must include enough information to be able to determine that time-in-grade requirements have been met (if applicable) and include your position title, pay plan/series/grade, tenure and the type of appointment (i.e. Competitive or Excepted). Please be aware that award SF-50's do not always include this pertinent information.
This includes: Career/Career Conditional or Excepted Service (i.e. Canteen, Hybrid, Title 38, etc. and meets interchange agreement requirements). This does not include temporary, term or temporary intermittent.
To verify your eligibility, you must submit a copy of your most recent Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50). Your SF-50 must include enough information to be able to determine that time-in-grade requirements have been met (if applicable) and include your position title, pay plan/series/grade, tenure and the type of appointment (i.e. Competitive or Excepted). Please be aware that award SF-50's do not always include this pertinent information.
3.
Are you a current permanent Federal employee from an agency other than Department of Veterans Affairs?
To verify your eligibility, you must submit a copy of your latest Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50) or equivalent personnel action form.
To verify your eligibility, you must submit a copy of your latest Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50) or equivalent personnel action form.
Preferences
1.
Which of the following items describes your current or recent (within the last five years) political appointee service?
If you responded yes to any of the items below, you will need to include a SF-50 specifying your prior service.
If you responded yes to any of the items below, you will need to include a SF-50 specifying your prior service.
Your resume must be submitted in English and include the following information for each job listed:
- Job title Duties (be as detailed as possible)
- Month & year start/end dates (e.g. June 2007 to April 2008)
- Full-time or part-time status (include hours worked per week)
- Series and Grade, if applicable, for all Federal positions you have held
- Please be aware that your answers will be verified against information provided on your resume. Be sure that your resume clearly supports your responses to all of the questions by addressing your work experience in detail.
By submitting your application, you are certifying, to the best of your knowledge and belief, all the information submitted by you with your application for employment is true, complete, and made in good faith, and that you have truthfully and accurately represented your work experience, knowledge, skills, abilities and education (degrees, accomplishments, etc.). The information you provide as part of your application may be investigated. You are also certifying, and acknowledging, that misrepresenting your experience or education, or providing false or fraudulent information in, or with your application, may affect your eligibility for appointment and/or continued employment. False or fraudulent statements may be punishable by fine or imprisonment (18 U.S.C. 1001).
2.
I authorize my application information being shared with hiring managers for similar positions. I understand this option may not result in further consideration for additional positions nor will it impact my application for this announcement.
3.
Applicants are required to undergo and successfully pass a pre-employment drug screening test and must submit to random drug testing after employment. Will you comply with this requirement?
If you are basing your qualifications on education (or a combination of education and experience) or if the position requires a college education to qualify, you must submit a copy of your transcripts with your application.
Assessment 1
Thank you for your interest in the Health Technician (Ophthalmology) position with the Veterans Health Administration. Please select the appropriate answer to each of the following questions based on your current level of education and/or experience that demonstrates your ability to perform the duties of this position.
1.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY: Health Technician (Ophthalmology) must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d) and 7407(d).
Are you proficient in basic written and spoken English?
Are you proficient in basic written and spoken English?
2.
EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION: Carefully read the following descriptions of experience and education. Select the one that best describes your experience and education for the Health Technician (Ophthalmology). Make sure your resume supports the response that you select.
3.
CERTIFICATION: The following question pertains to your certification. All applicants must be certified as a Certified Ophthalmic Assistant (COA) with the Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology (JCAHPO). The COA certification is JCAHPO's entry -level certification examination for a Health Technician (Ophthalmology) Note: Health Technician (Ophthalmology) are required to possess full and unrestricted certification. All certified applicants must provide proof of certification/ JCAHPO ID Number.
Carefully read the following descriptions of certification.
Select the answer that best describes your certification qualifications.
Carefully read the following descriptions of certification.
Select the answer that best describes your certification qualifications.
The following question pertains to your qualifications at the GS-09 Grade Level of the Health Technician (Ophthalmology) occupational series. NOTE: To be creditable, the experience must have demonstrated the knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with a health care field or knowledge, skills, and abilities related to the current occupation.
4.
GS-9 (Advanced): Do you have a least one-year experience as a Health Technician (Ophthalmology), with at least one-year equivalent to the GS-8 grade level? At the advanced level, the Health Technician (Ophthalmology) performs difficult ophthalmic technical duties with considerable latitude for the exercise of independent judgment. Duties include but are not limited to: refractometry utilizing retinoscopy to determine spectacle prescription; kinetic visual field testing (Goldmann); intraocular pressure measurements by applanation tonometry and other current methods; pupil evaluation recording pupil size, shape, symmetry, reaction to light and accommodation, and any abnormalities, including relative afferent pupillary defect; and basic slit lamp biomicroscopy evaluation to check for abnormalities prior to dilation (i.e.: anterior chamber depth/iris anomalies). The technician may perform advanced color vision testing of the entire visual spectrum to detect complex color vision defects such as monochromats, dichromats and anomalous trichromats. Measures eyeglass prescriptions using manual lensometer, recording sphere, cylinder, axis and prism in both plus and minus cylinder. Performs A-scan ultrasonography, including intra-ocular lens calculations, using immersion A-scan on eyes with complex pathology such as corneal scarring, irregular and/or high astigmatism, zonular weakness, high refractive error that requires multiple alternative calculating formulas. Performs B-scan ultrasonography to identify intraocular masses or abnormalities. Determines the corneal curvature by either manual keratometry or automated topography. Performs fluorescein or indocyanine green (icg) angiography, with diagnostic photography of retinal vessels. Performs slit lamp photography. May perform anterior segment OCT, confocal microscopy, electroretinography, electrooculography, and visual evoked potential. Assists in minor clinical surgical procedures, including laser surgery and intravitreal injections. Scrub technician assists in main OR surgical procedures, set up of sterile fields, operation and maintenance of phacoemulsification and vitrectomy units, cryosurgery, endolaser units, all of which require a thorough understanding of complex instrumentation and the ability to troubleshoot problems quickly and efficiently during surgical procedures and care of instruments. Assists with the microbiology testing of patients with sight-threatening ocular infections, preparing instrumentation and media for intraocular biopsy and/or culture. Performs thorough preparatory cleaning of critical reusable medical equipment in the operating room. Responsible for training other health technicians (ophthalmology).
In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
(1.) Knowledge of advanced clinical optics, advanced ocular motility, advanced diagnostic testing, and microbiology testing
(2.) Knowledge of ophthalmic surgical instruments
(3.) Knowledge of appropriate preparatory cleaning of reusable medical equipment, and
(4.) Ability to assist in ophthalmic surgical procedures performed in the main operation room.
Do you possess the experience and KSA's listed above?
In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
(1.) Knowledge of advanced clinical optics, advanced ocular motility, advanced diagnostic testing, and microbiology testing
(2.) Knowledge of ophthalmic surgical instruments
(3.) Knowledge of appropriate preparatory cleaning of reusable medical equipment, and
(4.) Ability to assist in ophthalmic surgical procedures performed in the main operation room.
Do you possess the experience and KSA's listed above?
Grandfathering Provision: All persons employed in VHA as a Health Technician (Ophthalmology) on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including certification requirements. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply: (1) Such employees may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journeyman) level, or changed to lower grade within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the journey level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions. (2) Health Technicians (Ophthalmology) who were appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis, until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard. (3) Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation, who subsequently obtain additional education and/or certification that meet all the basic requirements of the qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation. (4) Health Technicians (Ophthalmology) who are converted to title 38 hybrid status under this provision and subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation.
Resume Reminder - Your resume must include the following information for each job listed: Job title Duties (be as detailed as possible) Month & year start/end dates (e.g. June 2007 to April 2008) Full-time or part-time status (include hours worked per week) Please be aware that your answers will be verified against information provided on your resume. Be sure that your resume clearly supports your responses to all of the questions by addressing your work experience in detail. Recommended: Even though we do not require a specific resume format, your resume must be clear so that we are able to fully evaluate your qualifications. To ensure you receive appropriate consideration, please list the duties you performed under each individual job title. If we are unable to match your experiences with the positions held, you may lose consideration for this vacancy. We cannot make assumptions regarding your qualifications.
Transcript Reminder - If you are basing your qualifications on education (or a combination of education and experience) or if the position requires a college education to qualify, you must submit a copy of your transcripts with your application.